Emirates announced a US$16 billion deal for 36 additional Airbus A380 aircraft, with 20 firm orders and 16 options. The new order of A380, which has struggled to sell in recent years despite its popularity with passengers, may save the future production of the aircraft and save hundreds of jobs.
The additional Airbus A380s will be delivered to Emirates from 2020 onwards. Together with the airline’s 101-strong A380 fleet and its current order backlog for 41 aircraft, this new order brings Emirates’ commitment to the A380 programme to 178 aircraft, worth over US$ 60 billion.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) yesterday with John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft at the airline’s headquarters in Dubai.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates. Our customers love it, and we’ve been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix.
He added: “Some of the new A380s we’ve just ordered will be used as fleet replacements. This order will provide stability to the A380 production line. We will continue to work closely with Airbus to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product, so as to offer our passengers the best possible experience. The beauty of this aircraft is that the technology and real estate on board gives us plenty of room to do something different with the interiors.”
John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft, said: “This aircraft has contributed enormously to Emirates' growth and success since 2008 and we are delighted that it will continue to do so.
Tags:Emirates
